Biden’s legal troubles continue to mount. But now he’s trying to run from them.
And Hunter Biden has been caught trying to dodge the law in an insane turn of events.
Hunter Biden’s Wildfire Excuse Sparks Legal Firestorm
Hunter Biden is stirring up controversy once again, this time by allegedly using the recent Los Angeles wildfire as a convenient shield to skip out on a deposition tied to his notorious laptop.
New court documents claim the younger Biden is itching to jet off to South Africa for a three-month getaway, raising eyebrows and tempers in an ongoing lawsuit with former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler.
Ziegler, who Hunter accuses of illicitly hacking into his laptop and splashing its cringe-worthy contents across the internet, isn’t buying Biden’s sob story. He’s pushing back hard against Hunter’s bid to sideline the legal battle, arguing that the real motive isn’t financial ruin or fire damage—it’s a lengthy vacation in the works.
In a filing last week, Hunter painted a grim picture: his art sales have dried up since his father left the White House, and the devastating Palisades Fire—the most destructive blaze in LA history—forced him out of his Malibu mansion, leaving him too broke to keep up the fight.
But Ziegler’s camp calls foul, alleging Hunter’s predicament isn’t as desperate as he’s letting on. Instead, they point to a planned trip to South Africa, the homeland of Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen, set to kick off this week. “Why he is attempting to avoid his deposition,” Ziegler’s filing asserts, might just boil down to wanderlust.
The plot thickens with claims that Hunter’s team has dodged settlement talks and mediation efforts, possibly to buy time with his international escape.
Ziegler’s filing even nods to a New York Post scoop from last week, which showed Hunter’s home seemingly unscathed amid the charred wreckage of neighboring properties. Photos revealed the stark contrast: while the wildfire razed surrounding houses, Hunter’s pad stood tall—casting doubt on his “unlivable” excuse.
Hunter’s woes don’t end there. He’s told the court he’s drowning in millions of dollars of debt, with his memoir and artwork gathering dust now that the Biden political star has dimmed.
#BREAKING: Hunter Biden admits his “art” sales have dried up since the end of his father’s presidency.
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) March 6, 2025
Wonder why?! pic.twitter.com/qFUbLULxYt
Yet Ziegler’s team isn’t moved. “We note that Mr. Biden did not expressly claim to have lost his home or belongings,” they wrote in Friday’s papers, suggesting the wildfire’s chaos doesn’t justify dodging legal obligations.
“It does not, however, serve as an excuse to avoid litigation responsibilities,” Ziegler’s attorney Holliday argued.
For Ziegler, who served under trade adviser Peter Navarro in Trump’s first term, this 2023 lawsuit is personal—and pricey. He’s gunning to recoup nearly $200,000 in legal fees racked up defending himself, insisting the case should march on.
Back in 2020, when the New York Post first blew the lid off Hunter’s laptop, Ziegler took it a step further, unloading nearly 10,000 photos from the device onto his Right-wing nonprofit site, Marco Polo.
Hunter’s crew isn’t taking the counterattack lying down. They’ve fired back, slamming Ziegler’s filings as “emotionally charged” and accusing his lawyers of “gaslighting.”
They argue Ziegler is brushing off the wildfire’s toll, calling it “despicable” to suggest Hunter’s team is fibbing about the motion’s basis.
As the legal flames flicker, one thing’s clear: this clash over a laptop, a wildfire, and a South African sojourn is far from burning out.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
